Iceland’s Near Eradication of Down Syndrome through Abortion

Over 25 years ago when I served on the National Council on Disability, we responded vehemently against a report from the National Institutes on Health which listed abortion as a ‘disability prevention strategy.’ All 15 bi-partisan council members strongly advised the NIH to remove any reference which used abortion as a tactic in eliminating disability.

Yet now, just over 25 years later, Europe is outpacing America in eradicating certain disabilities through abortion – a prime example is the recent CBS report highlighting Iceland’s 100% abortion rate of unborn children with Down syndrome. To me, this is the ultimate form of discrimination against people with disabilities, and I join fellow disability advocates in denouncing abortion as a strategy to limit the numbers of people who have Downs. 

Each individual, no matter how significantly impaired, is an image-bearer of our Creator God. And people with Down syndrome are arguably some of the most contented and happy people on the planet. From them, we learn unconditional love and joyful acceptance of others who appear different. Now, even that is in jeopardy of being eradicated.